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Some 39% of health-conscious consumers have a salad as their meal while dining out, while 38% say they skip dessert instead of choosing a less-indulgent entree and 37% say they opt for water instead of a higher-calorie beverage, according to NPD Group. "The bottom line is that even with an increasing number of restaurants offering healthier menu items or posting calories and other nutritional information, at the end of the day, consumers see dining out as a treat, an indulgence," said analyst Bonnie Riggs.

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Ice cream shops saw their sales dip 4% from 2008 through 2013, as health-conscious consumers switched to frozen yogurt, but now sales of the more indulgent sweet treat are on the rise again, according to IBISWorld. Single shops and small chains are seeing the biggest revival, with premium local ingredients and exotic flavors such as beet, goat cheese and foie gras.

Putting symbols on the menu to denote healthier, lower-calorie choices may be more effective than posting calorie counts in convincing consumers to trim their intake, according to research from the University of Illinois. "Calorie counts did provide the most health-conscious with additional information, but it was the symbol that really enhanced the information provided to these consumers," said co-author Brenna Ellison.

Makeup sales rose 11% last year, compared with 5% for the overall beauty market, according to NPD Group research, and what NPD calls the "prestige market" has seen resilient sales even during a struggling economy. Consumers view high-end cosmetics as "an affordable indulgence," says June Jensen, director of NPD Group Beauty U.K.

People who dine with friends or dates who order unhealthy and higher-calorie dishes tend to mirror the behavior, according to research published in the British Journal of Nutrition. The behavior explains why groups of friends tend to gain weight at the same time and women often put on pounds after starting a relationship, the research says.

Chains such as Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts and Cold Stone Creamery are offering fruit-based drinks on summer beverage menus to take advantage of an industry that earned $1.2 billion in the last year, according to NPD Group. Many of these drinks -- which range from smoothies to fruity Frappuccinos -- are targeted at health-conscious consumers, but some nutritionists are skeptical.